 In recognition of the month of Rabi'r Awal, I've been asked by the Masjid administration to speak on the topic of the mercy of Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la and the mercy of His Messenger, our Master Muhammad, Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam. It's obviously a very, very important topic, a topic that can never be overemphasized in our times, the very ethos of our tradition, oftentimes as misrepresented or distorted, obviously by non-Muslims, but even people that claim to be Muslim. And obviously this is problematic and sometimes we have to get back to the basics. There is a hadith recorded by Imam al-Baghati, which he says that the Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam, he said, He said that there's going to come a time upon the people, where nothing will remain from Islam except its name, that people will identify as a Muslim but won't actually know what that actually means. And so it becomes a name without a reality. People will claim to be Muslim but have no knowledge of the Sunnah, the prophetic precedent, or the agreed upon ethos of the Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam. There's a hadith and divinity in which the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam is recorded, which I've said, Indeed, this religion began as something strange. So in the Hijaz at the time, this type of monotheism was very strange for the jahadi Arabs, that you have halal and haram, this is very strange for them, it's very strange. And then he said, And then this religion will be turned to be very strange. So, So a Muslim doesn't drink alcohol, a Muslim doesn't fornicate, a Muslim dress modestly, a Muslim believes in God. For a lot of modern people, this is very, very strange. You believe in God? And Muslim believes in objective right and wrong. There are things that are right from a moral standpoint, and there are things that are wrong objectively, always. It's not just up to your sort of whims and fancies, this type of critical theory that people are taught at universities and the academia. Muslims believe, Muslims believe in theological truth and theological falsehood. This is very strange. Muslims believe that they're about Allah, slaves of God. And for a lot of modern people, this is very, very strange. I'm not a slave to anyone. I make my own rules. I march to the beat of my own drummer. I'm not a slave. Very, very strange ideas. So then the Prophet, peace be upon him, he describes who are these people, who are these ghorabah. And they are the people who make Islam. These are people who make Islam. You know, I hesitate to use the word reform, but they repair what people have corrupted after me from my sunnah. From my sunnah. A man came to the Prophet, peace be upon him, in Sahih Muslim, and he said, Ya Rasulullah, Qul fil Islami qawdan la'asalu anhu ahadan ghayra. O Messenger of God, tell me something about Islam that I can ask nobody else except for you. Give me something that only you can tell me. I wanted some sort of prophetic secret from the Prophet, peace be upon him. So the Prophet, peace be upon him, he said, Qul aman tu billa thum mastaqim. He said, say, I believe in Allah, and be upright upon that. Be steadfast. Don't be wishy-washy. Be upright. That's it. That was his entire answer. So la yaqqa min al-Islami la-ismu wa la yaqqa min al-Quran, illa rasmu. He continues the Hadith, that may haqi, nothing will remain from the Quran, except it's a script, that these are just words on a page that don't have meaning for people. Because people don't study the loha. They don't study linguistics and philology. They don't study tafasir, our vast exegetical tradition. Imam Jafar As-Saga, he says, every ayah of the Quran has four levels of meaning, the love, the expression, that are known to the awam, the laiyyati, the subtleties, the allusions, the isharat, which are known by the Mufussi, then the subtleties, the ta'if, which are known to the anbiya, and then the haqqa of the realities, of every ayah that are known to Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala. And the Hadith that is quoted by Imam At-Tabari, Imam al-Suyuti, to the Prophet, Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam, he said, every ayah of the Quran has a thāgim and a batin. Every ayah of the Quran has an exoteric meaning and an esoteric meaning. And every harf of the Quran has a had, a parameter, and a maqla, a point of ascent. The highest meaning of the Quran. The Quran is polyvalent. The Quran has multiple levels of meaning. Imam al-Ghazār, he says in Jwāhir al-Qur'ān, why are you satisfied by standing on the shore and just collecting wood and and wax? So he likings the Quran to an ocean. He says the Quran is like an ocean. Imagine the analogy, you're standing on the shore and you just have outward plain meanings. He says, go, you have to negotiate the waves. The waves are the Arabic ayat of the Quran. And people they learn to get in boats and they come back and they crash on the shore. You have to keep trying. Eventually you get past the coastline. And then you go and he says, you find islands. Well, you find musk meanings. They're still outward meanings, but they're more sophisticated. And then he says, you dive into the Baha'a, dive into the ocean. And you find rubies and pearls. Theological verses. Verses about Allah ﷻ. Verses that describe the Sirat al-Mustafīn. He called these rubies and pearls. So we have to dive into this ocean of the Quran. And then you have the modern Nizami school, which is really interesting and something that we need to get into. You have confessional scholars like Islahi and Farahi who engage the Quran on the level of its structure and point out these amazingly sophisticated things about the Quran. And you have non-confessional scholars who are now taking the lead on this. Non-Muslim scholars, many of them are Catholic, like Kipers and Farim and Neil Robinson. Farim wrote a book on Surah al-Baqarah where he says the entire Surah is one big chiasmus. The entire Surah has concentric composition around the central pivot. Meaning the beginning of the Surah mirrors the end of the Surah. The second part of the Surah mirrors the second to the last part. The third part of the Surah mirrors the third to the last part. And it all comes in together in the pivot of the Surah in the middle of the Surah. This is incredible sophisticated work. You have to imagine the Prophet ﷺ is reciting these ayat along with the ayat of other Surah. And he's not writing anything down. This is a Wahim. Two of the greatest names of Allah SWT. Ar-Rahman and Ar-Raheem. And phatic nominal forms. Ar-Rahman means something like indiscriminately compassionate, universally loving. And the Quraysh before the Prophet ﷺ, the Meccans, they did not refer to Allah as Ar-Rahman. In Surah al-Furqan, Allah SWT commands the Prophet ﷺ tell them to make such that to Ar-Rahman. Who is Ar-Rahman? And the three of Hudaybiyah, they were Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Raheem and the Mishnikim, they said, we don't know these names, strike them out. They thought Ar-Rahman was some human teacher in the Prophet ﷺ. Ar-Rahman is written of in rabbinical literature. This is a name that was known by Ahl al-Kitab. He became discriminately compassionate. A name that denotes a type of mahabba that is Aam, Ar-Raheem, which is more focused, the infinite, the intimately loving. You have a name that is Aam and a name that is more khas, that is more focused. And of course this formula, the Bismillah, it prefaces 113 of the 114 Surah of the Qur'an. These names are etymologically related to the word Rahma, which means compassion or mercy or love. Allah SWT says in the Qur'an Aam Aayah 54 When you come into contact with those who believe in our signs, say peace be upon you. This is what a Muslim does. I've been to academic conferences and I meet other Muslims and they also say Salam Aaykum. You can't put me into a box. This is what a Muslim does. Allah SWT says in the Qur'an that this is a word that's given by a loving Lord. This is the greeting of the people to paradise, but apparently it's not so invoked amongst a lot of people. It's not fashionable. But after he says this Aayah 54 Your Lord has inscribed upon his own self mercy. In the next Surah, Surah Al-A'raf Allah SWT says I punished him to afflict whoever I will. But my mercy encompasses everything. That the Rahmah is his dominant, if you can say personality trait. Allah SWT is Rahmah. One of my friends in Hadith in Sahih Muslim reported by Anasit Numaad He says, the Prophet SAW said He said He said He says Allah SWT is more extreme in his joy more extreme in his joy when his slave makes toba to him then one of you was traveling in the desert and loses his conveyance of all of his food and his drink is gone. And then he says Until he reaches a point of losing all hope Yes, all hope is lost enters into a state of total despair He is going to die a painful, horrible death and then the Prophet SAW he sees some shame and he goes there and he sees his conveyance and he grabs the halter of his conveyance and he says He says In his rapturous joy In his rapturous joy he says You are my slave You are Lord He made a mistake because of the severity of the joy overcome with joy the Prophet SAW said Allah is more overjoy Allah SWT is more overjoy when his slave makes toba to him than this man is when he grabs the halter of his conveyance This is our Lord SWT In the Hadith in Bukhari the Prophet SAW he says he says that there was a battle of some sort and a woman was running around she had lost her dumb son she was absolutely hysterical and then she sees her son and picks him up and begins a kiss and hug and breaths with him and then the Prophet SAW he says He says Can you imagine her throwing her son in a fire? No, Allah He says no In Hadith Allah is more merciful through his servants than this woman is to her child these terms his father, son, children of God these terms are abrogated because they were literalized by Christians the figurative meanings are still there these analogies are still there Allah SWT is more merciful to her servants than this mother is to her child the Hadith in Ahmad Arabic Arabic Arabic Arabic the most compassionate shows compassion to those who show compassion show compassion to those on the earth and the one in heaven will show you compassion you have Muslim youth that study philosophy in the university and they study people like Nietzsche who talked about a transvaluation of all values he believed that Christian values were detrimental to society and the most detrimental virtue or value was compassion this is what he believed he used to sign his letters in antichrist there was a Muslim doctor who told me a Muslim woman came in one time and she had a tattoo on her arm he said in Arabic what doesn't kill you makes you stronger from Nietzsche you know this man's final saying act when he was living in Turin, Italy he was walking around and a man was beaming his horse he ran with tears in his eyes and started hugging the horse how ironic his final act was an act of compassion towards the horse then he lost his mind and never recovered trust Allah in his messenger their words are true don't listen to these deranged philosophers in Bukhari famous Hadith the prophet SAW said Arabic Arabic Arabic Arabic Arabic Arabic Arabic Arabic Arabic Arabic Arabic Arabic Arabic Arabic Arabic Arabic Arabic up to his Ibad on the Yawm Al Qiyamah. In the Hadith Qudsi, the Prophet ﷺ he says that Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala says, listen to my tibleting. Qarullahum ta'ala ya ibn Adamah. Inna kama da'ur tani wa rajaw tani. Oh child of Adam, as long as you call on me and have hope on me, khafartu laka wa la'ubali. As long as you call on me and have rajaw, have hope in me, I will forgive you wa la'ubali and I do not mind. In the Qur'an, Qul ya'ibali, say to my servants Alladina asrafu ala anfusihin who have completely transgressed against their own souls. La taqnatuma al rahmatillah. Never despair of the mercy of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala. Inna Allah yilfuru biluba jini'a. Allah forgives all sins. He is constantly forgiving. He is intimately loving. This is the most hopeful ayah in the entire Qur'an. It's for the people of major or mortal sin. Just have istiqama. Do the best you can. And when you slip, we make toba. We make toba. Toba means to turn to reorient yourself. Towards the one who is constantly reorienting himself towards you in no anthropomorphic way. And then we have hope. We have raja. One of my teachers told me Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala he called two men out of the hellfire. And he said to them, Okay, go back to hell now. One of them turned around very reluctantly and started walking back slowly while looking over his shoulder. And so Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala said to this man, and Allah knows best, why do you keep looking back at me as it were? And he said, You know, you called me out of hell. I had hope. I didn't have to go back. He said, you're in. Go to jannah. And then the other man, he turned around quickly and sprinted towards jannah. Sprint. And Allah said to him, Why do you sprint towards the hellfire? Your life disobeying you in disobedience of you. This time, I really wanted to make sure I obeyed you. And I have hope eventually I'll come out of jannah. You're right. Go to jannah. This is Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala. Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala is Alhamdul Rahman. He is the most merciful of those who showed mercy. And the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam is a reflection of his Lord. We did not send you except as a mercy to al-A'alameen, to jinn and ins. This statement is bad, it is an affirmation after negation in grammar. It's a very, very strong statement to me. Imam At-Tantawi, he says to you, Rahmatan is mafgur ibn Ajlihi an accusative of purpose revealing intentionality or internal reason that we did not send you except out of an incredible mercy to all the worlds. That the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam is the means, the Sadaq, the wassila of our guidance which will land us in paradise, inshallah ta'ala. Qul bi-fuddinillahi wa bi-rahmatihi fa bi-darika fa li-afrahu Allah SWT says in the Quran. Say, for the sake of Allah's grace and His mercy, His rahma in the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam is called rahma. They should be overjoyed. Let them have farah. Let them have a great joy. Anna Nabil Rahma inshahi Muslim. I am the Prophet of mercy. Anna rahmatun muhdah. I am a gifted mercy. Now you might read in secular historical sources and confessional sources that the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam he fought in battles. He conquered Mecca. And that's true. That's what he did. We have to get the whole picture. Get the full story. Imam Izzat-e-Din ibn-u-Ad-Dis-Salaam has written a very short treatise called bi-dahi t-sulfi taftiba rasool. And this was taught here by our esteemed colleague Imam Tahir Anwar, may Allah preserve him. And so he mentions here, Imam Izzat-e-Din, 40 distinctive virtues and characteristics that belong only to the Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam. Number 30, he says, another distinction is that Allah SWT sent him as a mercy to all beings so that he gave him so that he gave respite to the rebels of his community so that they would not hasten their punishment even though they asked the punishment to meet hasten. So that they were preserved contrary to the prophets before him. That the other prophets, while their prophets were still alive, their communities were destroyed. But Allah SWT says in the Qur'an, وَمَاَكَانَ اللَّهُ لِيْ وَعْثِبَهُمْ وَأَنْ تَفِيْهِ That Allah SWT is not going to punish them while you are amongst them. For example, on the day of Uhud Allah SWT sent them. And this is the day when he lost many, many of his companions beloved companion Musa'ab ibn Omar his uncle Hamza was murdered, his body was mutilated they cannibalized his body and the Prophet he suffered injuries to his face his blood pouring down his face they see him with his hands raised to Allah SWT and the Sahaba said, this is game over now he's making du'a to Allah SWT with a bloody face they think they are going to descend these prayers are done so now listen, what does he say for they don't know died my people in such an occasion when beloved ones his ahimba are falling down beside him, dying and mutilated blood pouring down his face he prefers the guidance of his enemies over their destruction the conquest of Mecca all of the leaders on the day of Ard Musa'a came eventually, because the Prophet he did not give up on them and as he was coming into Mecca with his army he was shouting he was standing by the gate of the Haram on the day of Al-Madhamah Abdullah Allahu Quraishan today is a day of slaughter the debasement of the Quraish Abu Sufyan is full of fear and the Musa'a are wondering well within his rights to punish everybody well within his rights today is a day of slaughter the debasement of the Quraish the Prophet ﷺ was further back and he was told this is what Sa'a is saying and he said he sent a rider up to Sa'a he said don't say that and so he went to Sa'a and he said the Prophet is saying don't say that Sa'a I don't believe me I'm going to keep saying so he came back to the Prophet ﷺ he doesn't believe me and the Prophet ﷺ took this blessed Imama he said give this to Sa'a tell him to stop saying that but take the Liwa take the standard he's holding and give it to his son right so the genius of the Prophet ﷺ honouring his son the son of Sa'a so the Prophet ﷺ he passed by the Haram on the day of Al-Madhamah today is the day of mercy the exaltation of the Quraish the exaltation of the Quraish and then the Prophet ﷺ what Yusuf ﷺ had said to his brother to his brother in an exegetical study this is called a typology you have someone in the past a historical figure who does some sort of action and then you have someone in the future mirroring or foreshadowing that event the Prophet ﷺ Yusuf ﷺ was cast out of Mecca like Yusuf was cast out of Mecca they tried to kill him he was physically and eternally beautiful gorgeous he goes to a different city he becomes head of state he comes back he has power over his brother and magnanimously forgives them he's there is no Glemish on you Allah has forgiven you do not displace the centrality of the Prophet ﷺ in our deen and as if you have reported when the Prophet ﷺ entered into Mecca the city was illuminated when the Prophet ﷺ arrived in Mecca everything in the city was illuminated when the Prophet ﷺ passed away to the mercy of his Lord everything became dim and dark we did not even dust the dust we did not even dust the dust we did not even dust the dust from our hands after burying the Prophet ﷺ when we began to feel a change in our hearts Abu Bakr said he lasted burying one year a smell of burning liver was coming from his breath this one is a smell he says I have shawq for the Prophet ﷺ I have longing for the Prophet ﷺ is consuming me and he was sincere and the hadith and timidity were told the Prophet ﷺ went out of his house one night at a time very late in the night when he never got out before Abu Bakr said he noticed that the Prophet ﷺ had left his house that the Prophet ﷺ was outside so he goes outside as well and so the Prophet ﷺ and he says what has brought you out during this very late hour Abu Bakr went out to see the Prophet ﷺ I have left in order to see the Prophet ﷺ what I am going to do to look into his blessed face what Taslima alayhi and they give salams to him imagine you have a son or daughter who has studied overseas for five years or something you haven't seen them for five years you're sitting on your porch and a car drives up and you're looking at so who is in this car and so you see your child your beloved child what would your body do immediately would rise up and rush towards your beloved this is what happens to Abu Bakr he is sitting in his house in the middle of the night he glances out the window or something looks into his courtyard he sees his beloved walking by immediately he bolts from his house why did you come I just came to see you look at your face give you salam this type of love last hadith in tibbidin Imam al-Tibbidin records the Prophet ﷺ he said he said a person who loses two children who loses two children who loses two children Allah SWT on account of that will enter this person into jannah what about someone who loses only one child he said even if they lose one child then she said what about if they lose no children what about if they lose no children then the loss of me is devastating enough for my ummah so yes even if you lose no children but we have to feel a sense of loss that we lost our Habib we have to feel that sense of loss you just have to appreciate the tremendous value of the Prophet ﷺ insha'Allah ta'ala it will be a means for us to enter into jannah I ask Allah SWT I ask Allah SWT I ask Allah SWT I ask Allah SWT I ask Allah SWT